Moving On
by Ultimate Prime
Summary: Sooner or later, their paths were bound to cross again in this universe. Clalicia, mentions of Bruce/Alicia.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Smallville.**

**Rated: G**

**Author's Note: Sequel to Wicked Love and Letting Go!**

**Summary: Sooner or later, their paths were bound to cross again in this universe.**

**Moving On**

**1/1**

A part of her felt like she was betraying her husband-to-be. The wedding was tomorrow, and she had decided to cancel a big and wild bachelorette party in Gotham City for _this_.

Bruce didn't know. Then again, he would probably find out, because the Batman makes it his business to know. Especially, when it comes to people close to him.

Still, she needed this. Alicia Baker could no longer run from her past.

Even if her running had been forced for her own protection.

Swallowing her courage, her balled up fist reached out, gently rapping against the slick wooden apartment door.

She waited, and was suddenly filled with the thought that he may not even be home. Not someone of his lifestyle. A mild-mannered reporter for a respectable metropolitan newspaper who happened to be possibly the most powerful superhero in the world. He was probably out uncovering a story or saving people from a burning building. Either way, he was saving the world, if not with words than with his abilities.

Maybe….maybe this was a mistake, after all. There was still no answer, so she could hurry and make her way down the hall and be in the elevator by now…..!

The door suddenly opened, and there he stood.

His expression changed behind his glasses from a curious but gentle expression to someone who looked like they had just seen a ghost.

She almost didn't recognize him with those glasses, but she couldn't bring herself to say a word when she did.

Neither a word, nor a breath passed between them. It was like they were frozen in time, at least until one of them decided to act.

Sure enough, that looked like a job….for Alicia Baker.

"Hi." she spoke with a smile that quickly faded as it came.

His look of surprise changed slowly into a blank expression as he nodded. "Mrs. Wayne." he said with a somewhat icy tone.

She deserved that. She felt like she did anyways. All this time, she had the chance to teleport right in front of him and say she was alive and ok. All those years of longing to be back in his arms again, but she had to refrain, to forget about the farm boy that had become her reason to be something better. All for her safety.

Or so her powers didn't fall into the wrong hands.

"Tomorrow." she concluded, brushing back a strand of shining blonde hair behind her ear.

He nodded again, and moved to the side, offering her entrance. "Come in?"

She accepted with a small smile as she stepped into his apartment. Hardly anybody would believe that farm boy Clark Kent would ever move to the big city and work as a journalist.

Except, of course, for those who were close to him. Who not only knew his secret, but knew exactly who Clark Kent was and what he stood for.

"Nice place." she commented in an attempt to break the ice again.

"It has a good view." was his seldom reply.

He wasn't going to make this easy. She didn't expect it to be.

Alicia spun around to face him. "Clark, listen. I know you're upset…."

"Does Bruce know you're here?" he interrupted her, folding his arms over his chest.

She sighed. He was definitely not going to make this easy.

"No, he doesn't. He'll probably find out, though."

Clark couldn't help but agree to that.

"Actually, I'm suppose to be celebrating my single status away tonight." she giggled, hoping to brighten the mood up.

It worked, a little. He smirked, so that was something.

"So why are you here then?" he asked, his tone gentle but demanding at once. Not like Bruce's. When he was Bruce, it was gentle. When he was Batman, it was rough and demanding. Never the same, not like Clark's.

Alicia shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I don't know. I mean, surely people will recognize and see Laura Carter, Head of Wayne Enterprises' Science Division, coming up here to meet Clark Kent, journalist for the Daily Planet. Perhaps she's hear to give out a juicy scoop on her future husband's dark and twisted secrets."

She looked at him, hurt at first, but then when he started to smile, so did she. The two were soon laughing together, just inches apart now.

"I promise you, Clark. That man has secrets too scary for your newspaper!"

"This…may be true." Clark chuckled as he held up a finger.

"And don't worry, I teleported." she chirped.

Clark looked surprised by that revelation.

"What? You think after I was forced to go into hiding that I had to give up my power?! No way!" She suddenly turned away from him, looking out towards the sky through his balcony. "At least not all the time."

"I guess Bruce frowns on that." Clark approached her, carefully. "How did you two end up together anyways?"

"How does any girl ever end up with Bruce Wayne?"

Touché, Clark thought. "But he hasn't asked any of those girls to be his wife."

She fell silent from that, but only for a moment. "It's strange, really. I mean, when I first came to Gotham, he was bossy and he didn't trust me."

"Know the feeling." Clark mumbled under his breath.

"But, as time went on, we…..eventually became friends. He didn't open up as much. He still doesn't. Then, one night, it's like there's a whole new side of him, and….and we…"

She didn't have to finish. Clark frowned. Just thinking about them together, it still twisted his stomach.

"Well, I'm happy for you…."

She scoffed at that as she faced him again. "For a guy fighting for truth, you're a pretty good liar."

He was taken back. "I-I'm not lying! I…."

"Please, let me finish." she said in a slightly pleading tone.

He looked puzzled. There was more?

"At first, I thought I was really happy. I was living a life that so many women dream of from childhood. But do you wanna know a secret?" She turned away from him again, walking over towards the balcony. "That's not the life I want."

"Then, what do you want?"

"To be accepted."

He felt a sudden ache in his heart as the memories of their last encounter sprang to mind. Where she could no longer find his faith in her after he believed she attempted to murder Jason Teague. It still hurt him.

"And to be loved for who I am." Alicia turned around, and Clark was surprised to see her soft brown eyes glistening with tears. "The way you did."

"The way I did?" Clark repeated breathlessly. "Alicia," he approached her, suddenly taking both her hands in his large, strong ones, "I hurt you in the worst way I could ever hurt someone I love. I didn't…I didn't believe you…."

"Clark, it's okay…."

"No, it's not!" he shook his head, managing control of his emotions. "I should have investigated further, or at least, I should have gone with you to the police…." he cut himself off, releasing her hands as he moved away from her. "Did you know I almost killed Tim?"

Now it was her turn to be shocked. She had heard that it had been Lois and Clark to bring Tim to justice from Oliver.

"It's true. I mean, I wanted to kill him. For the first time in my life, I wanted to just give in and cross that line." Clark turned back around to her. "Lois stopped me."

"I'm glad she did. The last thing I ever want, Clark, is for you to be a killer. You're so much better than that."

"I didn't believe I was at the time." Clark sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I was lucky to have people that loved me and saw me through. My parents, Chloe, Pete, Lana, and dare I say, Lois," that part made her giggle, "and, you."

She titled her head to the side in questioning.

"Every day, I was haunted that I failed you. You accepted me and made me feel free at the same time, Alicia. From that day, I promised that I would never have a repeat." He walked up to her again, taking back her hands in his. "You became the light of my path. I'm just so sorry it…"

"It didn't end badly now, did it, Clark. I'm here, alive and breathing. And here you are, saving the world with a pen and with your abilities!"

Clark nodded. Then, he remembered….

"Alicia, you said that the life you have with Bruce is not what you wanted."

She licked her lips as her eyes fell to their hands. She never broke contact with him. "I'm calling off the marriage. I've decided…..I can't be with Bruce."

"He….seemed real happy with you."

She scoffed. "Yeah, at least until Selina Kyle finally makes a clean slate."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Has he been cheating on you? Because, if he has, I did make a promise that I would…."

"No. No, Bruce is too honorable for that. It's just…..it doesn't feel right. It feels like….like I'm using him, because,"

"Because?" he prompted, somewhat pleading her to finish.

"Because, I still love you, Clark. No matter what, I'll always love you."

"But you can't be with me, either." Clark stated sadly.

She nodded her head before looking back up at him, gazing into the gentle blue eyes that made her feel so many wonderful things inside.

"So, what will you do then?" Clark asked.

She took back her hands gently as she moved away from him to the middle of his apartment. "I don't know. But isn't that the beauty of starting over?"

"I….really can't compare my experience to that." he smiled sadly.

"….Maybe I could take a shot at the superhero business." she smiled teasingly.

"That would be an excellent career choice." he encouraged. "You could help a lot of people."

"Yeah, but no cape!"

"What?!" Clark exclaimed.

"Sorry, Clark, but capes? Not a girl's style."

"What? My kid cousin's got a cape!"

"Well, maybe it runs in the Kryptonian side of your family, but still, so not my style." She thought for a moment. "A mask would do."

"I wouldn't know. Not too popular with masks, but they do come in handy."

She nodded. "So, I guess the question is, who will I be?"

"That's up to you to decide. But, no matter what, you'll always be Alicia Baker…..Kent." Clark watched for her reaction after giving her his adopted family's name.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion, but slowly it dawned on her. He could see it in her smile.

"I thought it wasn't legal."

He shook his head. "By law. Never in my heart."

She smiled lovingly at him. She almost went to him, back into his arms that she had longed all those years to be in again. Almost.

"Well, I guess I have to move aside and let someone else have that claim." She raised an eyebrow again. "I hear you've been working closely with Lois."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she's my partner at the Daily…..wait, what?!"

She giggled with a knowing smile. "Nothing."

Clark just stared at her oddly. It didn't help either that she was yet another claiming to see some sort of big attraction between him and his best friend's cousin.

He was about to reply when suddenly his eyes bolted towards the window. A minute later, he stared at her, sadly an apologetic. "I have to…"

"I know. It's part of who you are now."

Clark smiled. Setting aside his glasses then, he was suddenly out of his normal Earth clothes and into the familiar outfit the pubic knew him for.

Alicia couldn't help but giggle, even as she tried to stifle it with her hand over her mouth as her eyes looked downwards.

"What?" he asked.

"You wear your underwear out in that thing?!"

"Oh, for the love of…their shorts! Like the guys you see on wrestling? My mom made this, you know! It's about the closest thing that my people used to wear as well!"

She nodded after moving her hand back down. He opened the balcony doors, but turned back around, gazing at her, longingly.

Alicia held up her hand to him. "Goodbye, Clark."

"….Goodbye." it came more like a whisper from him.

With that, Superman took to the sky, faster than a speeding bullet. She watched him go.

She was missing him again, but Alicia knew that it was time to let go. Shutting her eyes, she teleported out of his apartment.

Out of his life, again.

The next day, The wedding of Bruce Wayne and Laura Carter had been called off just after Laura Carter quit her job at Wayne Enterprises, never heard from again. As always, Bruce had know that Alicia had met with Clark. It was hard to tell if he had a grudge with Clark afterwards about it, being that it always seemed like he had a grudge with Clark, even if they were friends.

Clark wasn't aware that Bruce had been spending time actually with Selina Kyle afterwards. Alicia had something to do with it.

Since that day, Clark never saw Alicia again. He could have looked for her, but he respected her, loved her too much to try. He took comfort in believing that wherever she was, she found the happiness and acceptance she had once found in him.

Meanwhile, he needed to get his eyes off of Lois and back on his latest story!

**Fin**


End file.
